A community-based study of prevalence and functional status of major depressive disorder in an industrial area

Depression is a significant public health issue that needs to be taken care of, as it poses a great economic burden on the society at large. Early identification and treatment of the patients will reduce mental morbidity and disability.

The aim is to study the prevalence and functional status of subjects with major depressive disorder in the community.

After identification of the sample population, the sociodemographic details were recorded. Subsequently, assessment was carried out by General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Functional Status Questionnaire (FSQ), and Mini Mental State examination (MMSE).

A total of 2000 subjects were screened using the GHQ and PHQ and 544 subjects were selected. These 544 subjects were further assessed with FSQ and MMSE. Out of the 544 subjects, 65.1% had a GHQ score of <14, 22.1% had a score between 15 and 19, and 12.9% had a score of >20. The PHQ-9 score was found to be <5 in 28.9% subjects, 5-14 in 64.3% subjects, and >14 in 6.8% subjects. Majority of the sample population was in the warning zone according to the FSQ. The MMSE scores were ≥23 in 86% and ≤22 in 14% of the patients. Over 65% of the subjects were relatively mentally healthy. Out of the remaining 35%, 22% of the subjects required screening for psychiatric disorders and 13% of them did require active psychiatric intervention.

It would be beneficial to the community if a database is created regarding the psychiatric disorders such as depression prevalent in the community and their functional status so that the effective measures can be implemented to minimize the suffering by providing effective psychiatric care at the earliest and follow them up in the long run.